Couple officially charged after children allegedly bound as punishment

Shannon Paul Breaux - Ashley Stigers

Tippecanoe County prosecutors have filed charges against a West Lafayette couple.

Posted: Jun. 26, 2018 11:35 AM

Posted By: Janice O'Shea

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) — Tippecanoe County prosecutors have filed charges against a couple accused of tying up a boy and a girl as a form of punishment. Shannon Breaux and Ashley Stigers were charged Tuesday with two counts each of criminal confinement and neglect of a dependent.

According to court documents, the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office was alerted to the alleged abuse case on June 20. It involved two children under 14-years-old being tied up at a home on Warrior Drive in West Lafayette.

Prosecutors said a deputy went to the home, where he spotted a cloth-like restraint system in the living room. They said Stigers admitted Breaux placed both the boy and the girl in the device which worked by tying the victim's hands and feet behind their back, with their feet up to their neck. When they would move their feet, the device would choke them and cut off their ability to breathe.

Prosecutors claim Breaux would bind them up and leave them alone in the dark garage as a form of punishment. Investigators said Breaux admitted to using the restraint on the children, but he claims he did not do it as a form of punishment. Stigers told investigators she was there when it happened and claimed she tried to stop Breaux.

Breaux is due in court on Tuesday afternoon. WLFI will continue to follow this developing story online and on News 18.